Battle of Xiangyang
The Battle of Xiangyang was fought between the Chinese warlords Sun Jian and Liu Biao in 191 AD at the Jing Province capital of Xiangyang. Liu Biao and his army blocked Sun Jian's army as it marched back to its home base of Changsha, demanding that Sun Jian hand over the Imperial Seal. When Sun Jian refused, Liu Biao's force routed Sun Jian's army. Not long after, Sun Jian turned to Yuan Shu for protection against Liu Biao's master Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu had Sun Jian lead the assault on his rival Liu Biao at his capital of Xiangyang. Sun Jian's army nearly defeated Liu Biao after outmaneuvering his army, but he was killed in an ambush and his brother Sun Ben and son Sun Ce led the army back to Changsha in defeat. Background Discovery of the Seal holding the Imperial Seal]]In 190 AD, after the Battle of Hu Lao Gate, Dong Zhuo burned the imperial capital of Luoyang and fled with the Imperial Court, and his general Zhao Cen abandoned the city's defenses. The coalition warlord Sun Jian took advantage of the situation to rush into the burning city, dousing the fires and setting up camp at the Dynastic Temple. A soldier noticed a beam of light rising from a well, and Sun Jian found that, floating in a bucket was the Imperial Seal, which had been thrown into the well during the massacre of the Ten Eunuchs in 189 AD. After Cheng Pu identified the seal as that of the Emperor's, Sun Jian reluctantly took the seal for himself, intending on hiding it so that none of the ambitious warlords could use it to seize power and usher in more chaos. However, one of the soldiers who witnessed the discovery informed the coalition's leader, Yuan Shao, who confronted Sun Jian the next morning as Sun Jian prepared to leave Changsha under the pretense of being ill. Yuan Shao laughed at Sun Jian and said that he was suffering from the Imperial Seal, and Sun Jian repeatedly denied being in possession of the seal, swearing an oath that, if he had the jewel and was hiding it himself, the heavens could make his death a violent one. Sun Jian and his lieutenants Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang nearly got into a fight with Yuan Shao and his officers Yan Liang and Wen Chou as tensions rose high, but the other coalition leaders persuaded Yuan Shao to let Sun Jian leave in peace. Unsatisfied, Yuan Shao wrote to the Imperial Protector of Jing Province, Liu Biao, and asked him to take the seal from Sun Jian. Campaign First battle - 190 AD Liu Biao sent Cai Mao and Kuai Yue with 10,000 troops to bar Sun Jian's path, and Kuai Yue demanded that Sun Jian hand over the Imperial Seal. Angered by Liu Biao's betrayal, Sun Jian sent out Huang Gai to battle Cai Mao, wounding him with a whip and forcing him to flee. Just then, Liu Biao and his army appeared with a large army, and Liu Biao demanded that Sun Jian hand over the Seal. Sun Jian denied having it, and Liu Biao then asked him why he would not let his soldiers search through his baggage. Sun Jian refused, and Liu Biao and his army then retired. As Sun Jian and his army continued on, however, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao ambushed him with their armies. Aided by Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, Sun Jian fought his way out of the ambush, although he lost half of his troops. He then managed to return to the Southlands, having become sworn enemies with Liu Biao. Yuan Shu's involvement Sun Jian sought help against Liu Biao and Yuan Shao, so he approached Yuan Shao's half-brother Yuan Shu and offered his services in exchange for his help against Liu Biao. Yuan Shu, who had fallen out with his half-brother over his refusal to send him 1,000 horses, and who had become rivals with Liu Biao due to Liu's refusal to send him grain, agreed to declare war on Liu Biao as well. While Cheng Pu counselled Sun Jian that Yuan Shu was deceitful and untrustworthy, Sun Jian insisted on obtaining revenge. Huang Gai assembled a large fleet to carry men and horses, and, when Liu Biao's strategist Kuai Liang discovered this, he had Huang Zu take command of the Jiangxia army and make the first attack while Liu Biao led a support army from Xiangyang. Invasion - 191 AD Sun Jian and his son Sun Ce ravaged the city of Fankou, and Huang Zu's archers attacked Sun Jian's large fleet for three days. The ships collected arrows fired at them, and Sun Jian had his archers reuse these arrows and fire them back at Liu Biao's forces when the winds were advantageous. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai's divisions landed after this initial attack, and, together with Han Dang, they attacked Huang Zu's camp from three sides and routed him. Huang Zu fled to Dengcheng, and Sun Jian led the pursuing force as Huang Gai remained with the fleet. Huang Zu rode out with the generals Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng, and Han Dang and Zhang Hu engaged in a duel. Chen Sheng attempted to interfere, only for Sun Jian to shoot him in the face with an arrow; a distracted Zhang Hui was then killed by Han Dang, who clove his skull in twain with his sword. Cheng Pu was then sent to capture Huang Zu, who fled to Xiangyang with his army. While Kuai Liang advised Liu Biao to wait for assistance from Yuan Shao, Cai Mao was given permission to lead 10,000 troops to the Xian Hills to defeat Sun Jian. Cheng Pu defeated Cai Mao in a duel and forced him to flee to Xiangyang as Sun Jian's army rode in and slaughtered Liu Biao's men so that corpses filled the countryside. Kuai Liang insisted that Cai Mao be executed for incompetence, but Liu Biao refused to have his brother-in-law killed. Siege Sun Jian then laid siege to Xiangyang and assaulted it daily, and, after a gale wind broke his army's standard, Han Dang warned him that it was a bad omen and that the army should retreat. However, Sun Jian flouted the advice and attacked the walls more vigorously. Meanwhile, in the city, Kuai Liang interpreted a falling star as meaning that Sun Jian would soon die. Liu Biao was then persuaded to send to Yuan Shao for aid, and he sent Lu Gong to fight his way through Sun Jian's blockade with the letter. Lu Gong was given 500 men to ambush Sun Jian's besieging forces so that he could make his way out of the encirclement, and he took up a position in the Xian Hills. Upon hearing that men were departing the city, Sun Jian set out with 30 horsemen to investigate, and Sun Jian rode ahead of his troops and called on Lu Gong to halt. Lu Gong fled after a brief duel, and Sun Jian gave chase to him through the hills. He was hit by several arrows, and a huge stone crushed his head, killing both him and his horse. Lu Gong then signalled Huang Zu, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao to fall upon Sun Jian's troops, throwing them into confusion and routing them. Huang Gai led the troops from the ships into the battle and took Huang Zu prisoner, Cheng Pu then slew Lu Gong before informing Sun Ce of his father's fate, and Liu Biao withdrew his forces into the city that night. The next day, Cheng Pu reached Sun Ce, who refused to leave without his father's body. Huang Gai sent Huan Ji to negotiate peace with Liu Biao, and they agreed that Sun Jian's body would be sent to Sun Ce in a coffin, while Huang Zu would be released to Liu Biao in exchange. With peace restored, Sun Ce had his father buried on the plains of Que before returning to Changsha, where he decided to devote himself to ruling well. Category:Battles